


By the Way, Can You Be a Rockstar?

by Queen_of_Milktea



Category: DanPlan, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, DanPlan - Freeform, Gen, High School, Not really that gay, basically an anime, but subtext, definitely subtext, there's also a mandatory beach episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21616423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_of_Milktea/pseuds/Queen_of_Milktea
Summary: “What do you mean you’re starting a band?”Jay asked, completely in disbelief. Dan stared back at him, completely serious.“I want to start a band,” he repeated.Jay blinked again, “Why?”Dan shrugged, reaching over to his can of soda and taking a long sip. The smile on his face stretched out wider. “Why not?”ORDan wants to make a rock band. He gathers the best (ok not really) musicians in the school (again, not really) to make the band of his dreams.He'll be the singer and guitarist, Hosuh will be the keyboardist (if he gets on stage), Stephen is the bassist (if he doens't kill Daniel), and Jay's the drummer.
Relationships: Hosuh Lee & Stephen Ng, Hosuh Lee/Stephen Ng, Jay Ko & Daniel Lim, Jay Ko & Hosuh Lee & Daniel Lim & Stephen Ng, Jay Ko/Daniel Lim, Jay Ko/Hosuh Lee/Daniel Lim/Stephen Ng, Jay Ko/Stephen Ng
Comments: 36
Kudos: 193





	1. Chapter 1

**3:45, Monday**

It was a still, humid afternoon in the middle of summer. Both Jay and Dan leaned back on their chairs, watching the other students exit their school. The buzzing of mosquitoes filled the air. 

Jay crushed his soda can with his heel. They fetched it fifteen minutes earlier when they attempted to finish their math homework. Emphasis on _attempted_. Now all their extra papers were scrunched up and scattered all over the empty classroom. Dan tried to clean it up. Jay just kicked up his feet and leaned back, laughing at the mess. 

“I should’ve chosen an extra curricular,” Dan said jokingly, beginning to pack away his things. 

Jay chuckled, “Why does it matter?”

Dan sighed, running his hands through his hair. A thick layer of sweat coated his fingers. “Because,” he began. “It looks good when you apply for college.”

Even though Dan lightened it up with a small chuckle, Jay eyed him with slight concern. He shuffled over on his chair and folded his arms over the desk. 

“And why does _that_ matter?” Jay asked, his tone firm. Dan grinned half-heartedly, but before he replied, Jay jokingly cut him off,“Go against the status quo. Break Asian stereotypes. Do something different—”

Dan wondered how it would affect his future. Would it limit his courses? Would colleges dismiss him quickly? Maybe joining that one extra curricular could’ve been the final boost that got him into college. God, he could feel his future thinning out. And his breath. 

His fingers dug around the edge of the desk. Then he thought of it. 

_“I want to start a band.”_

Jay blinked. 

Dan blinked back.

“What do you mean you’re starting a band?” Jay asked, completely in disbelief. Dan stared back at him, completely serious.

“I want to start a band,” he repeated. 

Jay blinked again, “Why?”

Dan shrugged, reaching over to his can of soda and taking a long sip. The smile on his face stretched out wider. “Why not?” 

Jay laughed at Dan’s sudden burst in confidence, as if he had struck gold, “Touche,” the semi-blonde watched him continue to smile to himself. “Oh, you’re serious.”

“Well, yeah,” Dan said nonchalantly. “I mean, I’ve always wanted to be apart of a rock band and if it helps us with college too, then it’s even better!”

Dan’s odd state of unsureness yet excitement made Jay ease into a smile. Resting his elbow on the desk, he nodded towards him, “Sure, let’s do it.”

Dan brightened, “Really?”

“I don’t know how we'll pull it off but, yeah. Let’s do it.”

Jay and Dan shook hands, the grip firm. They mirrored each other’s expressions of _‘What the fuck did we just sign up to’_ coated over with a thick smile and forceful laughters in attempt to cover up their complete disbelief for their plan.

***

**4:30, Monday**

Both Dan and Jay lingered around school grounds, simultaneously slacking off from maths homework while also looking for band members. 

Jay punched his hands into his jacket pockets, “Who are we looking for?”

“Everyone and anyone,” Dan was somehow still hopeful, his face still lifted and glowing with excitement. He looked like a yappy corgi that was waiting for his owner to get home. Jay just watched in amusement as he leaned against the gymnasium wall, waiting for band to finish. 

Eventually, all the marching band kids scattered out of the hall, too engrossed in their own conversations to even notice Dan and Jay. Dan politely tapped onto some students' shoulders, attempting to start a lighthearted conversation, though he was quickly rejected. Dan humphed but quickly wiped on another smile, attempting over and over and over again. Until everyone left.

Jay assumed that Dan would at least frown, but the other boy still beamed, brushing off all the rejections almost immediately.

“Maybe we should find someone else?” Jay suggested, patting him on the back.

Dan just smiled even wider, “I’m sure we’ll find someone.”

As if on cue, a petite boy stumbled out of the hall, struggling to wheel out a row of music stands. He heaved, helplessly pushing out the trolley with all his might. It squeaked. 

Jay and Dan mirrored each other’s instant excitement. 

“Hosuh!” Dan called, running over. He assisted Hosuh’s grip on the music stand trolley. 

The grey haired boy smiled with relief. “Hey Dan,” his voice was low. “What are you doing here?”

Dan didn’t know Hosuh completely. He was the quiet kid that sat at the back of classroom, not doing too much. Not talking to anyone, but not diligently studying either. Just sitting there. Minding his own business. By himself. Actually, Dan didn’t even know who Hosuh sat with at lunch. He always seemed to amble around school by himself, despite being one of the nicest people Dan personally knew. 

“We’re actually here to ask you a question,” Dan pulled an inviting expression. “We want to make a band. Do you want to join?”

Hosuh stared blankly. 

“I-I don’t know,” he stammered, gawkingly running his hand down his short ponytail. “I’m really busy with school, and I’m really stressed out with all the assignments and tests and—”

“But it’ll be really fun and we really need you,” Dan pleaded, though his tone was surprisingly uplifting as well. Not desperate like Jay expected. “You don’t have to if you’re really busy but if you have any free time,” he placed a hand on Hosuh’s shoulder and rubbed down his shirt. “You can contact me anytime.”

Hosuh’s chuckle was dicey, “Thank you.”

“We would love some new meat in the crew,” Jay teased, leaning against the trolley. Hosuh’s gaze purposefully missed Jay’s confident expression. 

“Plus, you can be apart of something completely new!” Dan enthused. 

“Also Dan will tutor you,” Jay added.

“Yeah! Wait what?”

“Well…” Hosuh pondered. “Okay. Why not?”

Dan and Jay squealed like little girls. 

“Thanks so much Hosuh!” Dan smiled broadly, his grin stretched from ear to ear. 

“Yum, new meat,” Jay joked. Everyone laughed.

“God Jay, your jokes are so creepy,” Dan slapped him on the back.

“Who said I was joking?”

Dan brushed it off way too casually, “Well what can you play Hosuh?”

“Piano. Well, I guess keyboard in this case,”

“That’s perfect,” the leader excitedly clasped his hands together. “If Jay’s drums and I’m guitar, all that’s missing is a bass.”

“Do you know anyone who plays?” Jay asked Hosuh. He shrugged. “Better continue looking then.”

***

**1:20, Tuesday**

The moment PE class began, Dan dashed to the bathroom, locking himself in the stall and wiping sweat from his forehead. _And that’s the only time he will ever run._

Dan clicked his pen and flicked open his notebook, scribbling down as many names as he could possibly come up with.

_JoCat—probably can’t play bass. Maybe worth asking (since Jay loves him so much)_

_James—I have a feeling he can’t play any musical instruments. If anything, it’ll be something like the clarinet._

_Jaiden—we already have a keyboard player_

He sighed and scratched out the names, already knowing his lack of options. He tried to remain positive but he could also feel his future thinning out. 

Then, he heard the squeaking of a marker against the walls. He poked his head out to find a boy with a near-mohawk doodling messily along the mirrors. He laughed at his own sketches of poops and deformed dinosaurs. 

“Stephen?” Dan asked over. 

The other boy nonchalantly yawned. “Oh, hey Daniel.”

Dan knew Stephen pretty well. They were in the same maths class, and despite his tendency to talk back to the teacher (mostly to correct him for making a mistake), he was sarcastically nice. 

“Why are you hiding in the bathroom?” 

Stephen tucked his hands into his jean pockets. “Why are you _writing_ in the bathroom?”

“...touche—” they both laughed. “I’m trying to start a rock band and I can’t exactly find a bass player so I was trying to—”

“That sounds lame Daniel,” he said, clearly joking even though his sentence was completely monotone. 

Dan chuckled, “Yeah it does sound a bit weird but I’ve always wanted to do it and—”

“I want to join,”

Dan blinked.

Stephen just stared back, his face completely deadpan.

“Didn’t you just call it stupid?” 

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I still want to join.”

“But—”

“Maybe I like stupid Daniel!” he yelped. “Maybe I meant stupidly fun.”

Dan clutched his stomach from his outburst of laughter, “Fine, fine. What can you play?”

“Bass,” he answered smugly. 

The guitarist animatedly snapped, “Perfect.”

“I know,” he proudly arched his chest. “Stephen is always perfect.”

Dan smiled to himself, slowing seeing everything piece together. “Practice starts tomorrow afternoon. Straight after school.”


	2. Chapter 2

**3:30, Wednesday**

It was another stuffy afternoon. The old ceilings fans did nothing to help but Dan buying sodas for all the boys really did. 

Dan rested the can of coke on his forehead to cool himself down. The drips rolled down his face. Leaning back on the chair, he began, “Thanks for coming guys. I really appreciate it,” they all exchanged smiles. “Let's just start by introducing ourselves. I’m Dan, I’m the guitarist and I’m glad to be here.”

“We know. We’re not strangers Daniel,” Stephen taunted. 

Dan brushed it off, “Hosuh, wanna go next?”

The faux-grey haired boy awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, “Hey I’m Hosuh…” he cleared his throat. “...I don’t know what to say.”

“What about your interests?” Dan invitingly asked. 

“Umm, drawing. I’m not very good at it but,” his locks covered his gaze. “I also like anime,” he chuckled. “That sounds a bit lame.”

“I like anime,” Dan said encouragingly, giving him a thumbs up.

“No Daniel, you watched 1 season of Attack on Titan,” Stephen called. “That doesn’t count.”

Dan laughed and scratched his head, “Yeah that’s true.”

Nonetheless, Hosuh eased into a quiet laughter.

“Well I’m Stephen,” the bassist flipped his chair over and leaned forward onto the backrest. “I like knives and chaos.”

Dan nearly spat out his soda, “What?”

“I like him,” Jay smirked over.

“I also have a tendency to destroy things that aren’t mine,” Stephen continued, nonchalantly kicking his legs. “It mirrors how life has destroyed me.”

“Amen,” the drummer called. 

“...what have I done…?” Dan whispered inaudibly.

Next was Jay, who took a swift sip of his soda before shining the widest, close-mouthed smile.

“Hey I’m Jay,” he began, his tone so joking that it sounded sing-songy. “I also like knives and chaos, as well as the demise of my enemies.”

“...oh no…” Dan muttered to himself. He creaked his chair over to Hosuh and leaned in, “I’ll protect you from these psychopaths Hosuh.”

Jay continued, shrugging calmly, “Some say it’s sociopathy. I think it’s charisma.”

“Yeah, you’re super charismatic Jay,” Stephen complimented. They shared wholesome grins. 

“A-Anyway,” Dan coughed, revealing his notebook. “We should discuss songs we want to cover. I’ve come up with a couple of maybe’s.”

“Read them out,” Jay said, finishing off the last droplets of his drink.

“Uhh _“Peace Sign”_ by Yonezu Kenshi?” Dan began his list. 

“Too happy,” Stephen commented.

“_”Tokyo Teddy bear”_?”

“Too depressing,” 

“_”Likey”_ by Twice,”

“Why Daniel?”

All four boys sighed.

Then Hosuh suddenly brightened, but was quick to put out his own excitement. Dan took notice and looked over.

“Do you have an idea Hosuh?” Dan asked, trying to sound as motivational as possible. 

“I mean I guess but,” he avoided eye contact. “...it’s a bit stupid.”

“No idea is stupid,” even Stephen surprisingly comforted him, though his words were distant. “Just say it Hosuh.”

He gulped, “_”This Messed-Up Wonderful World Exists For Me”_?” before anyone could answer, he stammered, “It’s a bit out there and—”

“No,” Dan cut him off. “That’s an amazing song. We should definitely do it.”

“Really?”

“Definitely,” Jay joined in an uplifting tone. “I love that song.”

“Yeah, it’s a good song,” Stephen tried to sound dismissive, but the underlying excitement was easily detectable. 

Dan crushed his already drunken soda under his foot as he raised himself from the seat. All the other boys looked towards him. 

“Then it’s settled,” he announced. “We should start practicing.”

All the boys settled behind their music stands, grabbed their instruments, and began scoping through the internet to find some sheet music. 

***

**4:20, Wednesday**

The afternoon was finally cooling down with the sun beginning to set. Maybe it was how loud they played (mostly Stephen and Jay) but echoes of their practice still lingered in the classroom. 

“Wait,” Stephen suddenly pipped up while they packed up their instruments. 

Dan looked over, “What is it?”

“Who’s the singer?” he looked around the room.

“I guess it’s gonna be me,” Dan said, blank faced.

Stephen deadpanned, “But you have an annoying voice.”

Guffaws dominoed through the musicians.

“I like your voice,” Hosuh encouraged. 

“You like everyone’s voice Hosuh,” Stephen contradicted.

Hosuh snickered, “That’s true.”

Dan grabbed the curtain blinds and lowered them, finally signalling the end of the practice. As he locked the classroom door behind him and walked down the hall, he chucked their empty coke cans into the nearest bin.

“So,” Stephen folded his hands behind his neck. “Does this count as an extracurricular?”

Dan scratched his neck, “It does now…” his voice lowered. “...since I’ve registered us in a competition.”

“What?!” the other boys yelled.

“I had to!” he confessed, snickering to lighten the mood. “It’s mandatory to sign up for _at least_ one competition in the school year.”

Stephen sighed into his hand. “When is it?”

Dan gulped, “...3 weeks.”

“_3 WEEKS?!_ WE JUST GOT TOGETHER!”

“Haha, yeah,” Dan avoided eye contact. 

“Oh god, I can’t perform in front of people,” Hosuh panicked, his fingers grasping harshly onto his jumper. “I-I’m going to mess it up.”

“No you’ll be—” Dan tried to encourage, but he was quickly cut off.

“You’re so stupid Daniel! We can’t perform in three weeks!” Stephen cried. 

“Hey, hey. It’ll be _fine_,” Jay reassured, placing a hand onto both boys’ shoulders. Dan internally thanked Jay for his calm demeanour. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Embarrass ourselves,” Hosuh squeaked. 

“Kill someone while on stage,” Stephen glazed. “And I think it’s gonna be you Daniel.”

Dan just dismissed them with unreadable, over the top gestures, “It’s gonna be fine. Trust me. If there were any issues, I would tell you guys, right?”

When nobody replied, Jay pipped in with a, “Yeah, obviously.”

“Exactly,” Dan smiled. “So the only thing we can do now is to work hard, practice, and hope for the best. We’ll be okay. And if we’re not, you can punch me or something.”

Stephen grinned, “Okay. I’ll take you up on that.”

And with that, all the boys scattered off into varying directions to walk home. Dan hummed the tune, trying to get it in his head. The afternoon sky was a soothing orange hue. It let him finally take a breath after the tiring day. 

_Shit._ Not only was practice exhausting, especially on top of school, but the pressure of the competition was bubbling in his throat. They didn't need to win, but god, it would be amazing if they did. Then, it would make this whole thing worth it. It would make him happy. It would make all of them happy. 

He shook his head. He couldn't be so hopeful. They were performing in three weeks and they just started. They didn't have a good chance of actually winning. He punched his fists into his jacket pockets and watched the sun set over him. 

All the pressure was on him—_the thought of winning and not embarrassing themselves in front of the whole region_—since he was the idiot that actually came up with this plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thursday, 3:30**

The music room was completely decked out with food that Dan had brought in. From cookies to small cakes. Dan decided to buy a shit ton of food in his last free period and bring it in for their rehearsal (maybe in an attempt to keep his members in the band) (or maybe it was because he was hungry) (definitely both). 

As the other band members strolled into the familiar classroom, they all gasped to varying degrees. Hosuh was visibly the most excited, his face beaming with absolute joy. Followed by Jay, then to Stephen, who helplessly tried to hide his excited expression.

“Dan, you shouldn’t have,” Hosuh’s squeaked. 

Dan offered one over the keyboardist, who gladly took the his half of the cake which the singer had cut for him. The overwhelming sweetness dripped down their fingers due to the classroom’s heat. It was still painfully hot, and creaky ceiling fans were getting worse. 

“Aw, thanks Dan,” Jay grinned, rubbing his hand down Dan’s arm. “Did you get—”

“Orange jelly?” he placed the plastic cup into Jay’s hands, who immediately yelped. “Of course.”

“Thanks Daniel,” even Stephen showed appreciation, trying to limit his grin, though he failed miserably. He grabbed a cookie and shoved a few in his mouth. “These are great.”

“I thought that it would motivate us to practice,” Dan grabbed another cookie and took a swift bite. “But I think that it’ll just distract us.”

“No way,” Jay dismissed, grabbing his drumsticks and sitting by the kit. He kicked the bass a couple of times to get the beat. 

"Yeah, it's motivating Stephen to kick the shit out of this song," the bassist smirked confidently, walking his fingers across the strings. 

Dan grabbed his guitar, strumming the first few chords of the song (which still weren't all _that_ familiar). This piece was harder than he expected, with a multitude of chords instead of the standard 3-4 in most pop songs, Dan still struggled to fully commit these chords to muscle memory. 

Jay clicked his drumsticks together, "1 a 2, a 1, 2, 3, 4."

Dan stumbled over his words, "Oops," he nervously laughed, clearing his throat. 

"No that was my fault," Jay tried to reassure. "Start singing on 4. It's a pick up."

Jay's smile eased Dan slightly, or at least enough to attempt it again.

"If you can't do it Daniel, Stephen will gladly take over," the bassist proudly said. Hosuh chuckled.

The drummer began again, "1 a 2, a 1, 2, 3—"

_“안녕하세요, 조교러 피오테오입니다._   
_시유 커버로는 진짜 오랜만이네요.”_

Dan's fingers struggled over the chords. He would slide them up and down, always hesitating for just a bit too long. 

D major, E major, F# Minor? No, no, F# Major. Then to an A, D then—

“Dan,” Jay interrupted, lowering his sticks onto the snare. The room went dead silent for a moment. 

Dan asked, his mind preoccupied, “Yeah?”

“Your timing is really behind,” Jay stared. 

Dan awkwardly scratched at his cheek and flushed pink, “O-Oh sorry,” he chuckled. “I need a bit more practice these chords a bit more.”

_A lot more practice_—he thought as he looked over the tabs. He couldn’t even do all the chords in the song yet. He sighed, and ran them over and over.

“Wow Daniel stop screwing up,” Stephen joked. “Stephen played perfectly.”

“Haha, sorry Stephen,” Dan apologised. “I just need to get these few chords under my fingers then everything will be _fine_.”

While Dan and Stephen bickered over the timing of the chords with Stephen’s bass line, Hosuh panicked over his own counter melody. Firstly, he struggled to get the correct timing of his chords with Daniel. Secondly, he struggled to properly play the melody with his right hand. So basically, Hosuh was struggling too. Pretty hard.

His fingers trembled over the piano, his eyes darting up and down; from the sheet music to the keys. Jay took notice and shuffled himself over, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. The pianist jolted.

“You okay?” Jay asked, peering over his shoulder. 

Hosuh was visibly tense, his shoulders raised to his ears. “Y-Yeah, I’m just trying to figure this melody out," he sighed. "This isn't really my usual style."

Jay took a moment to observe the sheet music. He nodded to himself, scooching closer to lower his left hand onto the lower octave of the keyboard. “Yeah the melody is pretty hard,” he pressed down a D major. “I’ll help with the chords while you sort out this phrase.”

So Hosuh gently glided his fingers over the higher octaves, attempting to play the counter melody. He played is painfully slow; he stumbled; he missed a lot of accidentals, but Jay was still next to him, looking over to perfectly time his chords. 

“You did it,” Jay said casually. 

Hosuh smiled to himself, “Kind of, yeah,” they both chuckled. “Thanks Jay.”

“What are friends for?” he slapped him on the back. 

The keyboardist’s face instantly glimmered, “Right, yeah!”

He continued to casually dabble over the keys, running the harder phrases over and over. He also began to circle the bars which he struggled with the most. 

“You’re always so calm Jay,” he commented, lowering the red pen onto his stand. “I’ve never seen you worked up or frustrated or angry.”

Jay rolled his drumsticks between his knuckles, bending one of his knees towards his chest. “I guess not,” he shrugged. “It’s not worth it.”

“Don’t you ever get nervous for tests though? Or scared when you meet new people? Or freeze when you’re on stage?” just thinking about it made Hosuh shiver. 

“Yeah,” Jay tapped the desk with his drumsticks. “But I don’t let it get to me.”

Hosuh continued to dally with the melody, letting the thought sink in. His fingers danced along the higher octaves of the piano. Over and over and over; doing the same countermelody; until he actually began to smile to himself.

“You’re starting to get it,” Jay encouraged, messing up his hair. Hosuh stiffly tightened his ponytail. 

“Yeah,” he grinned. “I am.”

***

**Thursday, 4:30**

All the boys began to pack away their instruments, zipping their cases and throwing away their trash. Dan was the last to stand up, too preoccupied by his chords to even realise that practice was over.

Jay noticed and decided to pipe up, “I think we should treat ourselves today,” he suggested. Stephen and Hosuh stopped in their tracks to look over. “We should go out to eat.”

The bassist shrugged, the case that was swung over his shoulder jolting a little, “Sure, Stephen is hungry.”

“I know a good place down the street if people like Italian…?” Hosuh suggested. 

Dan finally packed away his instrument, washing a bright smile over his previous intense expression. “Sounds great, let’s go.”

Their walk down to the restaurant was dyed in an orangey hue. Their four shadows lingered behind them, dancing and playing around with one another. Laughters filled the air and their stupid little pranks prevented them from walking in a straight line. Stephen would grab Hosuh and mess up his hair. Jay would purposefully slap Dan’s back just a bit too hard. All would roar out with laughter. 

Dan clutched the strap that held his instrument and hesitated for a moment. Stephen had already opened the door at the restaurant, letting Hosuh in. Jay had stopped, gazing behind him.

"You okay?" he asked over to Dan. 

The guitarist pressed his lips together an forcefully smiled. "Yeah. Of course ."


	4. Chapter 4

**3:20, Tuesday **

When Dan entered the classroom semi early (like he always did to set up for rehearsals), Hosuh was already there. The keyboardist sat by his instrument, intensely running through his part. 

“Hosuh!” Dan called, his voice vibrant. He lowered the groceries he had bought for their afternoon snack on the tables in front of him before walking over to the other boy. 

His eyebrows immediately uncoiled. “Hey Dan,” Hosuh smiled, scooting over so that Dan could sit beside him. “Why are you here so early?”

“I’m always early to set up the room,” he answered. “What about you?”

“Well,” he tucked his chin towards his chest. “I-I’m still struggling with my part so I decided to run through it before practice started.”

Dan hummed, “I relate,” he laughed. “I’m also, uhh, struggling with my part but,” he grinned wider. “I’m working on it. I’m sure that things will work out.”

Hosuh’s shoulders tensed up, “But aren’t you nervous to perform?” he stammered. “I can barely string sentences together, let alone perform in front of those people.”

“Yeah but sometimes we need to be a bit more optimistic,” he said, so casually that it startled the keyboardist. “The trick is to not take things so personally and to not worry about every little mistake. Look at the big picture,” he explained, his gestures grand and animated. “If you trip and stumble, brush off the dust and continue walking.”

Hosuh’s face burned with an odd mixture of realisation and eagerness to continue working. To continue practicing. He scrunched his fists closed and pumped himself up internally, shuffling closer to his piano to go over his counter melody again. 

“Thanks Dan,” Hosuh said, his face gleaming. Dan grinned back, giving him a firm thumbs up. 

_“And that’s why knives are informal,”_ as if on cue, both Stephen and Jay entered the classroom, chatting about (another) nonsensical topic. 

“But you know what they say: _guns are the lazy man’s weapon_,” Jay teased, slumping himself behind the drum kit. 

“Jay, no one says that,” Dan nervously laughed. 

The boys scatter to their respective instruments, grabbing a couple of snacks on the way. Stephen managed to fit a whole handful of cookies in his mouth before picking up his bass. 

“I think we should rehearse the verses today, since we haven’t focused on them too much,” Dan suggested, tuning his guitar. 

“But what about the chorus? That’s the most important part,” Stephen’s voice was completely muffled. Dan was surprised that he hadn’t choked on any cookies. 

“I think we’ve practiced it enough. It’s time to ease into the rest of the song,” Dan persisted. 

Stephen eventually caved in, “Fine. But if you stuff up Daniel,” he tightened his fist. “I'll punch you.”

Dan laughed then strummed a C#minor, then a D major, E major and a F# minor. His fingers glided through the chords easily, as if they were dancing along the strings. He grinned to himself.

Even Stephen was smiling at him, walking his fingers through his baseline perfectly alongside the chords. Hosuh joined with his countermelody which sang lightly on top. To complete it, Jay thrashed his drums, pumping out the melody full out. It finally felt like the song was piecing together. Little by little. 

***

**5:00, Tuesday**

As band practice concluded, Hosuh was kind enough to follow Stephen to the bathroom. _Yes, that sounds bad out of context. No, it wasn’t anything serious. _

Stephen claimed that Hosuh really didn’t need to come with him, but Hosuh kept on pushing for some unknown reason (probably because the sky was darker than usual since practice went overtime) (and that would mean Hosuh would have to walk in the dark) (and of course he hated that).

“Stop staring at me Hose,” Stephen called, completely sarcastic. Stephen went into the stall, clearly embarrassed, and shut the door behind him. “This prevents you from perving on me.”

“I wasn’t,” Hosuh chuckled. “I just didn’t want to walk home alone,” _which Stephen predicted._ “And we live pretty close to each other.”

Hosuh’s eyes scanned the dirty bathroom. It was worse than he remembered. Toilet paper littered across the tiles. Mirrors foggy. And even badly drawn doodles everywhere. Hosuh grabbed a permanent marker from his pocket (and despite hating vandalism) decided to scribble on little google eyes on the poorly drawn shits plaguing the walls. 

As Stephen went to wash his hands, he peered over to Hosuh and snickered. “Thanks for fixing my artwork,” he called sarcastically, wiping the water on his shorts. He pointed directly over to the large and oddly cute looking cartoon. 

“I just thought it would look cute,” he shrugged. 

“It does,” the bassist laughed. “Does most of your art look kind of like this?”

“I mean, I guess?” Hosuh awkwardly answered. “I don’t know…”

“Then you’re not even that bad,” he complimented lightheartedly, slapping his shoulder gently. 

“How do you know that? I’ve drawn a single pair of eyes,” Hosuh joked. 

Stephen pursed his lips. “True. But either way, practice makes perfect,” he said nonchalantly. “And knowing you, you’ll get better at art pretty quickly,” when Hosuh’s face flushed, Stephen immediately stammered. “I mean, _death and destruction._”


	5. Chapter 5

**5:00, Thursday**

All four boys saw this scenery every single day.

A recently rubbed out blackboard, previously filled with their scribbles (a mix of Dan’s explanation of the competition and Stephen’s really bad drawings). On the corner of the board were little cartoonish figures which Hosuh had drawn of them. They would laugh at how Stephen wanted a purple mohawk to be the cool one. Then Dan would contest him, saying he wanted green hair to make him look more exciting too. 

In addition, the classroom bin was always overflowing with rubbish. Wrappers to empty plastic cups. They wondered if anyone actually cleaned those bins out. 

Nowadays, afternoons in particular, were finally getting cooler. But that also meant that the days were getting darker and darker in much less time. That’s something that Jay noticed, though Dan apparently didn’t. At all. 

The leader continued to strum his guitar, so concentrated that he barely noticed that Hosuh and Stephen had left. 

Jay lingered by the door, sighed, then sat beside Dan. Only then did he look up and shoot a smile. 

“You going home yet Jay?” He asked, propping up the guitar on his knee. 

Jay’s lips flatlined. “Are you going home?”

“Yeah, soon,” he reassured, his expression lively. 

Jay stretched a grin despite his hesitance and decided to pack around him. First the stands, to his kit, then to the fallen sheet music. He cleaned particularly slowly. As he grabbed his bag again, he realised that Dan still hadn’t moved. Jay stared at his watch. Fifteen minutes had gone by. 

“We should head home,” Jay encouraged, his tone forcefully chipper. 

Dan smiled, “Go ahead without me. I’m still busy practising.”

Jay grumbled, but pushed it down with one gulp, “It’s getting late,” he continued to push. 

But Dan persisted. “Yeah. I’m leave soon. I swear.”

The drummer rolled his eyes and lowered himself onto the seat next to Dan. 

“Are you okay?” he genuinely asked.

Dan just pulled his usual expression; a reassuring beam. “I’m just practimg. I can’t exactly practice at home or I’ll disturb Elias,” he explained, continuing to go over the same chords. 

“But you’re overworking,” Jay pushed. “I mean, look at your fingers,” he gestured over to the cuts all over the guitarist’s blood red fingers. “They’re about to bleed,” before Dan could dismiss him again, Jay had already grabbed bandages from the outside pocket of his bag.

Jay tore open all the paper wrappings with his teeth, using his right hand to wrap them around each of Dan’s fingers. He securely snugged Dan’s hand with layers and layers of bandaids. 

“You’re pushing yourself too hard,” Jay said between each bandage. 

Dan chuckled, “I’m fine.”

The drummer exhaled, “I’m worried.”

There was a brief moment of silence between them. Like the classroom sat still. Dan’s smile was minimal; not full and forced like it tended to be. 

“Thanks for worrying,” he said, finally lowering his guitar onto the desk. Jay gave a sigh of relief. “But I’m okay. Really.”

The drummer lowered a hand onto Dan's shoulder and stared at him, dead in the eyes, "This is just a band Dan. This isn't your future. If I was you, I wouldn't worry so much about some band I made three weeks ago," his tone came out harsher than he wanted. Something he realised when Dan recoiled a little. "...sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"You make a good point Jay," Dan acknowledged. "But this is so fun," he expressed with complete joy. "I love playing the guitar. I love playing with you guys. I love making music together," he shrugged. "I know it's stressful and it sucks that we have a deadline but, right now, I'm pretty happy."

Dan's exaggerated smile contrasted Jay's stunned one. He let the thought sink in. Dan had a tendency to be quite stubborn; especially to avoid unnecessary conflict, and Jay knew that the best.

There was a moment where Jays expression tensed, as if to retaliate, but he just caved in. As if he had to let him win. “You have to promise me that you’re leaving soon.”

Dan acted as if he was opening up his case to pack things up. In his most honeyed tone, he replied, “Yeah I promise.”

Jay traced his hand down his shoulder, like a final gesture of _“take care”_ before gathering his things and walking off. When a moment passed, Dan reached over to his guitar again and continued practicing, finally uncrossing his fingers behind his back.


	6. Chapter 6

**12:40, Tuesday**

Hosuh wasn’t exactly an extrovert. At all actually. Maybe a loner. He almost loathed talking at lunch; it was too loud, too messy and there was too much chaos. So he often sat alone. Sometimes at his desk in the classroom so he could sketch on his sketch pad. Or sometimes outside, pretending to read so others wouldn’t judge him for being alone (he would prefer to read manga but people would judge him even more). And when he was feeling particularly fancy; he'd sit in the computer room. 

And today was no different, or at least, he thought so. He grabbed his lunch box and the same book he pretended to read for years now as he ventured outside to seek sunlight. Until Stephen coincidentally bumped into him in the hallway. 

The bassist grinned. “You heading somewhere Hose?” he was holding his sandwich under his arm. 

Hosuh shook his head, “Not really.”

“Wanna join me for lunch then?” he suggested. Hosuh beamed and agreed.

They sat by the benches outside; ones which were just isolated enough for peace and quiet, but also nicely placed under the sunlight. Hosuh unraveled his lunch box, which revealed a nice assortment of colourful side dishes.

“That looks cute,” Stephen teased, his mouth filled with ham sandwich. 

The keyboardist scratched the back of his neck, his face flushed slightly pink. “I actually made it myself.”

“You should cook for me next time,” both boys laughed. “When can I come over?"

“Whenever.”

They were clearly joking, but at the same time, not, with Hosuh actually wanting Stephen to come over. They’d talked about playing a game called “Forest” a while back but never planned for it. Maybe they should? And they'd also joked about pulling an all-nighter for a test together (so at least they weren't lonely?). Now that Hosuh thought about it, he was sort of considering it. Seriously. 

“W-Well I’m free anytime!” Hosuh nervously pressed, deciding to take initiative. 

Stephen eyed him, then shrugged, “OK. We’ll arrange a time then,” he grinned. “...except we have rehearsals like everyday.”

“Ha, yeah…”

The days were becoming more pleasant. It was like a picturesque day in spring; chirping birds, bright sunlight and lively winds. It spread a sense of comfort and relaxation in the air as the boys enjoyed their lunch. Maybe it was because Hosuh never really went outside anymore, but he realised that the school gardens were fully blooming now, and the grassy fields were greener than ever._ Maybe he should go outside more._

“Do you like rehearsing?” Hosuh asked, taking small bits of his food. 

“Don’t tell Daniel, but yeah. I do,” Stephen flatly said, his words muffled because of his sandwich. “It gives me something to do. And it forces me to play my bass which is nice.”

“I like rehearsals too,” he chirped. “I was hesitant at first but I genuinely enjoy playing with you guys…” his words faded.

Stephen took notice and continued, “And it’s nice to be apart of something, you know?”

Hosuh brightened in mutual agreement, his embarrassment washing away, “Yeah,” he eased into a smile. “I like hanging out with you guys.”

Stephen’s colder exterior melted in an instant, his expression dissolving to reveal a genuine, relaxed smile underneath. 

“By the way Hosuh,” he brushed his fingers along his pants to remove the crumbs. “You can sit with me at lunch from now on,” Hosuh’s lips parted in slight surprise. “I-I mean if you want to.”

The previous loner had the goofiest expression, his lips stretching from ear to ear. “Yeah,” he said, chipper and bubbly. “I’d like that.”

***  
**1:00, Tuesday**

Dan wrote out his tabs into his notebook during lunch, only occasionally leaning down to take a bite from his granola bar. The classroom was mostly empty, with a couple of small pockets of people still eating inside, so Dan found comfort in doing his work by himself. _Even though Jay hated it._

He identified Dan from the hallway and immediately furrowed his brows. Storming into the classroom, he made sure to plaster on a more playful expression before sitting on his desk. Directly on his desk.

“You should take a break,” Jay said, grinning. He passed him a strawberry milk. 

“Aw thanks,” as Dan graciously accepted the drink, Jay took the opportunity to snatch the pencil away from his hand. The guitarist laughed at his antics. 

“Maybe you should stop looking at your notebook for once,” he suggested, holding his pencil between his nose and lips like a child. When Dan rolled his eyes jokingly, Jay chucked the pencil away and grabbed his chin, leaning in just a bit too close. “And look at me instead.”

Dan bursted out into laughter, lightly swatting away his hand and sinking back onto his chair. He took a moment to look outside. To take in the breeze dancing along the trees; to the chatting students that seemed so engrossed in the conversation they barely realised that time was passing; to the sunlight reflecting off of the dewy flower bed. 

The guitarist sighed then slumped onto his desk, “I haven’t studied for that English exam tomorrow…” he grumbled into the wood. 

“Well you should’ve,” Jay simply said. “We need quotes for this test too.”

“...I know,” Dan’s muffled voice groaned. 

Jay ruffled his hair. “Do you want me to tutor you?” Dan propped his chin up onto the desk then pursed his lips. His tiresome, animated expression made Jay chuckle. “We don’t have practice tonight. I’ll come over.”

“Thank you,” Dan droned out, sinking into a mixed sense of relief and glum. His friend stuck the straw of Dan’s strawberry milk into his mouth so he could take a few gulps. He looked like a deflated squishy. Both from stress and being tired. 

Sometimes Dan liked to fantasise that he wasn't at school anymore. Not even in the town. Maybe not even in the country. Maybe he'd travel around the world, taking the other band members with him (ooh a world tour) (he could dream). They could see the wonders of the world. What if they could time travel? They could go back to the medieval time and fight dragons. Wait dragons aren't real. But what if they were? And Dan could—

"Dan?" Jay waved his hand in front of his eyes.

He snapped out of it immediately. "Sorry. What were you saying?" 

Jay chuckled at his dazed nature, “I think Stephen’s scared to perform.”

Dan smiled politely and rubbed his eyes, “Really? Why? I thought that Hosuh would be more scared.”

Jay pondered then shrugged. “I just get the feeling that Stephen doesn’t want to be emotionally vulnerable by fully committing to the band, and that’s why he acts cold.”

He scoffed at his sudden outburst, “W-What?” he laughed. 

The semi-blonde eventually grinned, “Nevermind.”


	7. Chapter 7

**3:40, Wednesday**

The hot afternoons were seemingly coming back, but it was particularly bad that day. Shirts stuck to skin like glue. Sweat dripped down foreheads. Reaching for water every other minute. It was scorching and dry. 

Maybe that was why they played badly that day. Very badly. The worse they probably had. Or at least that’s how Dan would describe it. 

And Stephen obviously agreed, stopping mid-song to complain, “We sound so shit.”

The room went from a loud, jumbled mess to complete silence in a single second. When the other members hesitated to give a straight answer, the bassist continued;

“Jay, can you slow down at bar 23?” Stephen asked, clearly annoyed as he wiped down his face with his shirt. 

The drummer slammed his drumsticks down onto his snare drum borderline coldly. “I’m trying not to lag behind.”

“Well it’s too fast,” Stephen pushed further. He looked as if he was going to punch the shit out of Jay. 

But the other boy was still smirking, “Why don’t you try and keep up?” Jay was clearly teasing, and yet it didn’t cut across to Stephen._ Maybe the heat was too thick_. 

“H-Hey let’s not fight,” Hosuh interjected, standing up from his seat. 

“Stephen’s right,” Dan stabbed through the argument. His unusually cold demeanour through everyone off. “We don’t sound good right now. Stephen, you’re out of time with Jay. Stop resisting his timing,” he scolded. Stephen crossed his arms. “Jay, your drumming is _way_ too loud. We can’t hear anything else.”

The drummer glanced down, “Yeah...I’ll fix that.”

“And Hosuh,” Dan turned his attention over to the keyboardist. “You missed your cues. Again,” Hosuh’s lips pursed. “But I also messed up. I messed up the chords again,” he began to laugh. Everyone looked at him, puzzled. “Everyone made mistakes and we’ll continue to make mistakes. But that’s exactly why we need to practice. We’ll continue to practice together until we get better.”

Suddenly, Stephen began to pack away his things. Swiftly, he grabbed his case and began to leave the classroom. 

“What are you doing?” Jay asked, his voice quivering in false contempt over the argument. 

The bassist glared back, his eyebrows knitted together, “I’m quitting.”

Silence. 

Dan’s jaw dropped. No one could reply. 

“Stephen, come on-“ Dan reached out to him. 

“No,” he cut him off. “Practicing won’t do anything. We have 8 days left and we’re still shit. We’re going to go out there and look so shit next to all these other bands that've been doing this _for years_ instead of weeks. It’s just a complete waste of time and I’m not willing to go out and embarrass myself in front of hundreds of people.”

Stephen stormed out of the classroom, loudly slamming the door behind him. He toppled the nearest bin over, spilling all of their shared snacks. 

Hosuh immediately ran after him, his pace so fast that it nearly tripped him over. He harshly grabbed onto Stephen's arm to flip him over. 

The bassist groaned, “What?” he spat. 

“Stephen, you can’t just leave!” he pleaded. “We need you.”

“Well Daniel probably doesn’t,” he crossed his arms. 

“He does! We all do,” Hosuh yanked at his arms, attempting to pull him back inside. 

“God, what do _you_ know?” He rolled his eyes, gazing aside. 

Hosuh stomped his foot, “W-Well I do know!” He yelled. “A lot!” The keyboardist continued, completely cutting Stephen off. “We’re all tired, okay?! We’re all frustrated that this isn’t working out the way we planned, and that we still sound shit,” Stephen was surprised (borderline amused) at Hosuh’s angry swearing. “But we’ve got to just push through it. We can’t get worked up over every little thing.”

“Hose I…” Stephen began, but never finished. He just left his lips agape. 

Hosuh's gaze was still firm with confidence, “So we’ve got to go back inside Stephen. We’re in this together.”

As Stephen was about to reach over to him, Jay came storming out. His steps were so heavy, they echoed through the hallway. And they saw a side of him they had never seen; he was absolutely fuming. Face red. Teeth gritted. Steam coming out of his ears. 

“You guys are _selfish!_” He boomed. The other two couldn’t bring themselves to say anything. “Dan is doing all the hard work; packing up the classroom, buying food and organising everything and yet you two are out here complaining. What the fuck are you complaining about?! Huh?! What?!” Neither of his band mates replied. “You better fucking _apologise!_”

Whilst the fiasco went down outside, Dan was still sitting inside, not moving since Stephen’s outburst. Tears were bubbling by his throat but he painfully tried to swallow them down as he strummed his guitar again. Thoughts flooded in his head; regrets, hopes, wishes. But he just shook his head again. Things had to be okay? Right? Because things had to work out...right? 

Just then, the door slammed open again, with the other three awkwardly shuffling back in. Dan wanted to smile but he couldn’t bring himself to lie. So they all just froze in quiet. 

Stephen sighed and broke the silence. “I’m sorry Daniel.”

The leader bit down on his lip, “No it’s-“

“Shut up,” he exclaimed. Dan presses his lips together. “It isn’t ok,” they locked eye contact, their gazes contrasting each other’s surprise and sincerity. “I was being shitty. We’re in it together. I have your back.”

Dan fully smiled. Truely, truely smiled. His eyes crinkled, forcing a single tear to run down his cheek. But he wasn’t sad. More relieved. Stephen snickered and ran over to him, patting Dan’s head jokingly. 

“Aw group hug,” Jay sang as the other two ran over, trapping Dan and Stephen in a tight embrace. 

Stephen cringed, “Argh, gross.”

“You can’t go back now Stephen,” Hosuh laughed. “We already know how cute you can be.”

The boys laughed, an odd brew of comfort, relief and actual happiness washing over the air.

That afternoon, after everything wrapped up (and yes, they did make sure that Dan left with them) (despite Dan trying to run back twice) Stephen took in Dan’s sheet music and marked the tabs in for him. His cold demeanour contrasted Dan's optimistic surprise. 

“You better be free tomorrow afternoon,” Stephen snarled. 

“I am. Why?” 

“Because I’m teaching you how to fucking play.”


	8. Chapter 8

**12:20, Thursday**

Dan leaned back onto his chair, completely exhausted. It was the annual school fair day which meant that the whole school was decked out with stores and activities that the senior years put together. There was always hype and excitement regarding this event, but it had finally blown up into a complete, hectic mess. Juniors would flood in and out of buildings, running around and yelling across the halls.

Dan got together with Jay and Jocat to set up a cute little photo booth with backdrops and props. There was a variety of backgrounds, filters and costumes that were available, basically making it a hot spot for teenage girls to go to. On top of that, it was right next to the main entrance, making it even more crowded and popular. _No wonder they were so exhausted._

Jay fetched Dan’s water bottle, pressing it against his forehead. Dan chuckled, letting the water drip down his face.

“Do you want to get something for lunch?” Jay asked. Their booth was mostly empty. Actually, most of the stalls that were inside the main building were deserted since they weren't food oriented.

As Dan was about to reply, Jocat came trembling out, his expression; absolute despair. 

“What happened?” Dan tried to half heartedly comfort him, but he admittedly found his fear more comical. 

Jocat parted his lips, and it was as if his soul had escaped. “T-That haunted house was horrifying,” he shivered. Jay came over, stroking his back _just_ a bit too slowly. Jocat jumped. 

“A haunted house?” Jay smirked. “Why don’t we check it out Dan?”

Dan shrugged, “Sure. Why not?”

“Don’t go there!” Jocat dramatically reached out, trying to stop the boys. His body was lifelessly collapsed onto the hallway.

“Look after the stall, okay?” the drummer nonchalantly gestured. They strolled down the mostly empty hallway, turning the corner to face the haunted house which took up multiple classrooms. The stall was covered in black and purple fabric and a fog machine casted a mist over the area. 

A figure emerged from the darkness mysteriously, a cloak covering their face. Their feet dragged along the floor, creating a soft, slow echo along the hallway. Even Dan felt a small shiver down his spine, but Jay simply stood there, completely unfazed. 

“Stephen?” he asked, reaching over to unmask him.

The bass player deadpanned, his lips pursed. “Whaddup.”

Dan took a sigh of relief, “Is the haunted house still open?” Dan asked, finally unclasping his hands around Jay's arm, which had happened without his conscious knowledge. 

“We're on lunch break,” he said, his hands tucked underneath his oversized robe. He had left his scythe and skull mask back at the booth. “Ann and PJ are looking after the booth while I’m gone.”

“Can we join you then?” Dan pushed. Stephen grinned over, indicating a yes, though Jay still seemed reluctant. The drummer and bassist locked eyes, an oddly intense gaze buzzing between them. It was like the toxicity and anger from the day before still lingered in the air. 

“Sure,” Stephen dragged out, glancing away.

So the three of them ascended out the building and into the main field in the front. They were instantly hit with the delicious scent of street food. There were rows and rows of food stalls on either side of them, leading down to the gate out front. It was a lively area with chatting and music swelling. 

“Hose!” Stephen called. The other two gazed over to find the grey haired boy cooking Takoyaki in a nearby stand. There was a huge line in front of him.

He adjusted the bandana that held up his hair and smiled over. “Oh hey guys,” his eyes were glistening with excitement. _It was hard to say no_. So they waited for 30 or so minutes just to get some from him. 

Stephen graciously took a Takoyaki ball, even if it was piping hot, and bit into it. 

Hosuh tried to grasp at him. “Stephen I just cooked it!” he yelped. “It’ll be really hot!”

Stephen swallowed, tears swelling, “What are you talking about? I like hot food,” he sniffed, the inside of his mouth burning. “I-It’s really, really good Hose.”

“Really?” the chef chirped.

“Yeah," when Hosuh looked away, he gulped it down forcefully with a whole bottle of water. 

Jay and Dan took their own batch, firstly blowing on it, then taking a bite. They brightened instantly.

“This is amazing Hosuh,” Dan smiled widely. Hosuh blushed a little red. “I didn’t know you were so multi talented.”

The keyboardist scratched his face, squeezing his cheeks to hide his smile, “I-I'm not really.”

The band sat down by the cobblestone path, all lining up along the sidelines. Since all the benches were taken up already, they had to settle for the burning hot ground. 

The four boys munched on their lunch rather quickly, the hot sun beating down on their backs. It was a picturesque view: flower petals dancing through the air, a beautiful sky, and a set of boys in their uniforms munching on some Takoyaki. The crowd slowly began to defuse as lunch time passed, each bundle rushing back into buildings to continue with the fair. 

“Maybe we should head back,” Jay suggested, rolling up the paper plate. As he began to rise, Dan stopped him. 

“Wait. Look,” Dan gasped, excitedly pointing over to the furthest pole. It was nearly engulfed in the shadows of all the other buildings. 

“Literally what are you pointing at Daniel?” Stephen asked, lazily picking at his ear.

The four of them walked over to Dan’s line of sight to find the smallest of posters plastered onto the pole. And at the very bottom, the dull words “DanPlan” was written. A mix of excitement, nerves and determination filled the air. 

“Does that mean people are gonna come watch us…?” Hosuh asked. The others just blankly stared at the poster. It looked fifty years old. 

“No ones probably seen it. It’s all the way over here,” Stephen answered, his tone stilted despite his words indicating a joke. 

Dan just let the thought sink in; realisation for how close everything was, as well as how big this competition was going to be. He grabbed the poster, smiling at it widely. It made the nervous Hosuh, the reluctant Stephen and the frozen Jay look over in slight confusion. 

The guitarist grinned, looking left then right. “You know what this means?” he asked around. No one replied. “It means we have to work _that_ much harder. You know, since we have a reputation.”

He was the only one laughing. The other band members looked at the poster again. Despite being off coloured and too small, it was an eye catching poster, and it was likely that other schoolmates had seen it before them. _“DanPlan”_.

“Wait a minute,” Stephen intruded the silence. “When did we agree on a band name?”

He glared towards Dan who nervously chuckled. “Sorry. I forgot to ask you guys and I just rushed for a name on the first day. And since it was my idea and I’m the leader—”

“It’s a stupid name Daniel!” Stephen cut him off (again) (like he usually did). “Why can’t it be Stephen’s plan? Plan is a stupid word. It should’ve been Stephen’s Goal!”

Hosuh simply patted him on the back and led him away, mid-rant. “I like the name Daniel,” Hosuh mentioned in a quiet voice.

Now, Jay and Dan were the only ones left, awkwardly loitering in the outskirts of the school. 

Jay tapped his feet together. “It probably looks a_ little _suspicious that we’re here,” he gestured to their little secluded area. “You know? By ourselves. In the middle of nowhere. Where no one comes.”

Dan snickered, “What are you saying Jay?”

“Nothing,” he innocently clasped his hands behind his back. “Nothing at all.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the beach episode. This really felt like an anime, not gonna lie haha

**3:36, Friday**

It was another afternoon practice. Well, to some degree. Hosuh had brought in snacks this time, ranging from sweet Korean treats to smaller cookies. 

“Sorry I went all out,” he said, sheepishly lowering all the food onto the desks. 

“This is great Hose,” Stephen said, already half way through his snacks. For the first time in god-knows-how-long, his nonchalant expression had livened into a child-like wonder. “I love it.”

In addition, Jay had come in early to set up the room instead of Dan. The room was more cohesively set up than ever before, with instruments meticulously placed to provide the best sound quality. Even desks were pushed around to minimise their sound dampening. 

The rehearsal was more "together" than usual—to say the least. And it was even reflected in their playing. Dan finally nailed all the chords, now at a reasonable pace. Hosuh’s counter melody was coming together, so comfortably that he could almost do it on autopilot. Stephen’s bass line wasn’t as choppy as it used to be, and now smoothed along the song. Jay’s drumming wasn’t deafening anymore, and it backed up the rest of the instruments. 

Dan wiped sweat from his forehead, collapsing onto his chair. Everyone was exhausted. 

“We did so well guys,” he smiled, fanning himself. “We deserve a good break. Let’s have an early night.”

The other members graciously thanked him, grabbing their instruments to begin packing away. But Jay had stopped them.

“Is that it?” the drummer snapped.

Dan blinked, “What else did you have in mind?”

The other members stopped, midway, to look over to him. 

Jay sneered, “What if we go to the beach?”

Hosuh brightened immediately, “Yeah! That sounds like a great idea.”

“Stephen loves the beach,” he proclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dan nodded in agreement. “Why not? What’s the worst that can happen?”

***

**11:02, Saturday**

Actually, a lot of things could go wrong. Firstly, turns out, it takes three hours to go to the beach. And it’s hot. Deadly hot. The hot that burns the skin the moment you’re in the sun. On top of that, no shops were open. Some sort of festival was held a couple of towns down and everyone apparently went to that instead. But the four boys couldn’t exactly go in their swimwear.

Normally, they would’ve sighed, giving up immediately. And yet, they didn’t. Stephen had his license, turns out, and could drive them. Dan asked who in their right mind would give him that (probably an instructor threatened at knife point). And Jay bought a mountain load of sunscreen so they wouldn’t get burnt, as well as beach umbrellas that they could sit under. On top of that, Hosuh could cook (they had no idea how they kept on forgetting that). So he just brought some meat and veggie skewers and a small barbecue burner so they could cook on top of the sand. And to entertain everyone, Dan brought a stereo and a volleyball.

So they were set.

All four boys reluctantly approached the ocean. The water was freezing cold. The moment they dipped their feet in, they all shivered.

Then Stephen smirked. And Hosuh took notice. 

“Stephen! Stop—” Hosuh leapt backwards as the bassist began to splash water at him. He laughed, nearly toppling over. Hosuh proceeded to fling his arms across the water, making large waves that plunged Stephen straight into the ocean. 

“Why you—” as he attempted to take him down, Jay suddenly swooped in from nowhere, crashing straight into Stephen’s side. The bassist screamed while the drummer just roared out in laughter, taking both of them completely underwater. 

Dan just laughed, particularly at Stephen flailing his arms and panicking for air. When Hosuh took notice, he immediately kicked water at the guitarist, making his gasp. The leader charged towards him, carrying a load of water in his folded arms and flinging it with full force. The water drenched Hosuh from head to toe. All boys laughed, nearly choking. 

***

**1:02, Saturday**

The smoke from the barbecue wandered up towards the sky. The middle of day meant the scorching sun, but the beach umbrellas and icy water did help. At least a bit. 

Hosuh grabbed the last of the skewers on the barbecue and placed them down onto the plate. He swore it was full, but every time he looked down, it all disappeared. 

Stephen hummed, “I’m stuffed,” he said, leaning back into the shade. “We should do this more often.”

“Yeah! Maybe we could do a hot pot next time,” Dan suggested, nibbling on his seafood skewer. The garlic prawns were particularly good. 

“Maybe a shabu shabu?” Jay asked. 

“But it isn’t winter,” Stephen noted. “Have you heard of those cool flower hot pots? That could be kind of cool.”

“Yeah but I don’t know where we’ll get the ingredients for something like that,” Dan chuckled, though obviously disappointed. 

Hosuh chimed in. “Oh, I was thinking of doing a Kimchi hot pot sometime,” the others brightened at the idea. “You guys could always come over...I mean, if you want.”

“Obviously we’re coming over Hose,” Stephen joked, lightly punching his arm. “You make the best food,” he nudged Dan. “Well, Elias is pretty good too but—”

“Well what if you come over to mine instead?” Dan proposed. “Then Elias and Hosuh could cook together!”

They laughed, the sun beating down on them and all the food completely gone. 

***

**3:10, Saturday**

Since the sun was setting, Dan thought that it was the perfect time to...play a game. He grabbed the volleyball and asked the others to set up the court around the sand. 

“Okay I’ll go with Jay,” Stephen began, catching the ball that Dan threw towards him. 

“No that’s clearly unfair,” Dan laughed. 

“How?” Stephen tucked his hands into his pockets, and the guitarist swore that he was going to pull out a knife.

_“How?!”_ his voice cracked. He didn’t want to imagine the antics. He would definitely die. Or worse. Hosuh would. “What if I go with Jay?”

The semi-blonde shrugged, stepping underneath the net to stand on one side of the court. “Sounds good to me.”

“Why does Daniel get to choose the teams?” Stephen whined. 

Dan groaned like a tired mom. “Fine. You choose the teams.”

The bassist grabbed Hosuh and wrapped his arm around his waist. “I want Hosuh.”

“But that’s what I—!” 

“Shut up Daniel.”

Dan rolled his eyes, throwing the ball onto the other side. He exchanged looks with Jay that translated to something like _“We’ll beat them anyway. It doesn’t matter”._

Stephen threw the ball into the air and slammed his hand against it, making it fly across the court. Dan hit back which was just enough to go over the net. The bassist smirked, thrashing it twice, maybe three times as hard. As Dan dived for the ball, it scraped the ends of his fingertips, and he missed. 

“You suck Daniel!” Stephen yelled, cupping his hands around his lips. 

“Sure, sure,” he teased back, brushing off the sand from his clothes. 

He grabbed the ball and tossed it over to Jay. The drummer eyed his opponent: Hosuh, who was nervously trembling in the back position. When he smiled over, the keyboardist awkwardly pursed his lips. Out of pity, Jay tossed it over fairly lightly. Hosuh closed his eyes and just went for it, slapping it back over.

“Yes Hosuh!” Stephen called. When he opened his eyes, Hosuh saw the ball floating over to the other side of the court. 

He yelped in excitement. “I did it!”

Jay ran towards the ball, this time, aiming towards Stephen. The bassist and the drummer locked eyes for a moment before he launched it towards him. Stephen desperately lunged, but missed, causing sand to fly everywhere. 

“Nice,” Stephen cracked a smile. His tone was somewhat intimidating, and it had an underlining sense of threat to it. 

“It was nothing,” Jay answered, his voice honeyed. “Pal.”

Stephen tossed the ball up into the air, then on its way down, smashed it towards Jay. The force was so strong that the net wavered back and forth. Nonetheless, Jay went for it. The ball lingered in the air, and Dan went to pass it back over. 

“I bet you can’t handle it Daniel and Jay,” Stephen called, hitting the ball back over. 

“You wish we couldn’t handle it,” Jay replied, throwing it twice as hard. Sand went everywhere. Their outline of the court was basically destroyed. The volleyball was travelling so fast, Dan and Hosuh could barely see it. 

The two “bystanders” (though they were supposedly still in the game) just looked at each other then shrugged. 

***

**5:02, Saturday**

The sun was beginning to set, dyeing the whole sky red. Stephen drove with his elbow leaned against the rolled down window.

The whole band was absolutely exhausted by the end of their trip. Dan and Hosuh were folded over each other in the back seats. Jay sat in the passenger seat, turning up the very fitting lofi so it flooded out of the car. The smell of the sea breeze lingered on their clothes. 

“I’m sorry that I shouted at you,” Jay began. 

Stephen was somewhat startled. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

_Of course Stephen did_. There was only one time Jay did. The stupid fight. With stupid words that they couldn’t take back.

“I don’t care,” Stephen dismissed. Neither of them looked at each other. Not even once.

“But I wanted to apologise,” Jay sighed, looking down at his lap. “I just feel like I need to protect Dan sometimes,” he viewed him from the rear view mirror. Dan was fast asleep. “It wasn’t personal,” he gazed towards him with an uncomfortable stare. One that was oddly intense and threatening. “But if you do yell at him again, it will be personal.”

Stephen snickered, “Wow you two are close,” he turned a corner just a bit too tough.

Jay sneered, “Jealous?”

“I’m happy being single thanks,” he joked making Jay roll his eyes in dismissal.

“But being completely honest; I am a little hesitant on this all coming to an end,” he peered out the window, both to watch the changing scenery and to avoid Stephens gaze. Stephen kept quiet. “You know, when this tournament finishes, maybe the band won’t be together anymore. Which means we don’t really have a reason to…” he trailed off, but Stephen knew what he meant. 

“I’ll be honest,” Stephen began, halting at a red light. The two boys matched each other’s gazes of hesitance and reluctance. Like they weren’t willing to admit how much this all meant to them. Add onto that, a sense of their usual personas melting. “I’m scared,” it was a simple phrase, but it kept the both of quiet for a moment. He kept on driving. “Before, I apparently grew accustomed to being alone. I had friends but they weren’t that close. I went out but I wouldn’t enjoy it that much. It was nothing to compared to today,” he airily chuckled. “But it has been nice having some nice people around for a change,” he caught a glimpse of Hosuh in the rear view mirror, who was leaning on Daniel. He grinned to himself. “You know?”

“Yeah,” he hummed. He pressed his lips together, then pulled a conniving grin. “You’re softer than I thought Stephen.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled. But it just pushed Jay further. 

“Uwu soft boi Stephen,” he sang. 

Stephen cracked. “What does that even mean?!”


	10. Chapter 10

**4:50, Tuesday**

All the boys concluded another successful rehearsal and packed away everything. From Hosuh’s food to all their cases. It was quickly becoming second nature to them. Like muscle memory. 

Dan sighed happily, locking away his guitar for the day. “It’s crazy to believe that the performance is tomorrow,” he said. Everyone’s expressions ranged from relief to reluctance. A hinted sadness lined the air. “We’re sounding really good.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re gonna win anyway,” Stephen dismissed, swinging his case over his shoulder. 

“But it doesn’t matter. At least we worked hard and, you know, got better,” Hosuh brightened. 

“Hosuh’s right. And to celebrate, we should go out to eat,” Dan announced. “I mean, since it’s our last day and everything.”

Stephen and Jay eyed each other, then the latter answered, “Maybe we can do the Kimchi hot pot we were talking about.”

“That sounds great!” 

So the four of them quickly ducked into the supermarket on their way back, grabbing a couple of ingredients before running home. 

It went as mess as you'd expect. Stephen threatened Dan at every turn (one of the times was over tofu). Jay would laugh but ultimately challenge him. Chaos ensued (seriously. It was just over tofu). Hosuh just wanted everyone to get along. And Dan would sigh, ignoring the boys while he casually strolled his trolley down the aisles. 

But eventually they made it out alive (luckily not getting kicked out) and they'd make their way to Dan's house. 

“You know, your house is kind of far,” Hosuh mentioned to Dan, who just shrugged. 

“I guess. I’m pretty used to it though.”

The four of them lined up by the tracks, waiting for the train to pass. The sirens’ dings echoed. It was a warm afternoon, with the sky completely orange and the crows murmuring. Scenic. 

“Do you ever see a train and go: _‘Wow. I want to go on it and see where it takes me’_?” Dan asked around. 

“No. I see a train and wonder: _‘Can I jump in front of it’_?,” Stephen deadpanned. The other boys laughed. 

“Why? Do you want to move?” Hosuh questioned Dan, who just seemed to gaze at the moving train, his mind elsewhere. 

“Not really but, I do want to see the world,” he answered, somewhat distant. 

Dan’s house was on the side of a slanted hill. Though it wasn’t the easiest walk, it had the most beautiful view. The town's silhouette was visible. 

Dan unlocked the gate then the front door swiftly, letting all the boys go in first. He led them upstairs, briefly passing his brother Elias before entering his room. 

“You can dump your stuff anywhere,” he stated. 

His room was somewhat of a mess. At first glance, it was pretty tidy. Cream coloured walls with some posters of guitarists. Some awards. Mostly school textbooks and fiction books stacked up against his desk. But underneath the desk and the bed, school supplies and books were all smashed into the tight spaces. 

“I’m going to get Elias and set up downstairs. Hosuh,” the keyboardist looked over. “Wanna join me?”

He nodded and the two boys left the room. A few moments passed, then Stephen got up and began scavenging through Dan’s things. 

“Umm, what are you doing?” Jay asked, immediately stopping him. 

“What? I want to know Dan’s secrets,” he said, as if it was obvious. “I haven’t been here for a while.”

“You’ve been here before?” 

They settle onto Dan's bed after Stephen just caved in. He internally knew that Jay would've probably stabbed him if he hadn't. 

“Yeah. We were good friends back in middle school,” Stephen said. Jay pulled a surprised expression. 

“Didn’t think you guys would get along,” he chuckled. 

“I used to be nice,” he joked. “He’s childish. I’m childish. He’s stubborn. I’m stubborn. The only difference is that he’s still nice and I’m psychopathic,” he cooly explained. Jay hummed in agreement. “But yeah, we were close. And we’re getting closer again, I guess,” Jay thinned out his eyes. “What? Are you jealous?”

“No,” he forcefully laughed.

“You’re clingy,”

“Just dedicated,”

“You love him too much,”

“There’s no such thing.”

Downstairs, Elias and Hosuh were busy cooking. The keyboardist washed the vegetables, Elias prepared the noodles, while Dan set up the table. It was a cozy room with an open kitchen to the dining room. 

“So, how's the band going?” Elias attempted to flick his overgrown fringe out of his eyes. 

“It’s going really well,” Hosuh replied, taking a heap of cabbage and draining it. “We’re sounding good. Right Daniel?”

The guitarist perked back, “Really good. You still coming to the concert Elias?”

His brother pressed his lips together and grinned, “Yeah. I’m excited to see it.”

There was a moment of peaceful silence between them until Hosuh popped up, “The concert? Oh wait, it’s the tournament, right?”

Dan and Elias stared at each other. Elias’s lips squirmed with awkwardness. Then Dan answered, “Y-Yeah. The tournament. The concert. Same thing.”

***

**6:00, Tuesday **

Dan placed the last bowl down and took his seat by the head of the table. A giant hot pot sat in the middle, the steam going straight into the ceiling light.

The leader grabbed some vegetables from the pot, and placed it into his own little bowl. He took a gracious bite then began smiling like an idiot. “This is amazing Hosuh!”

“Please tell me you’re going to be a chef,” Elias encouraged, filling his cheeks with the spicy dish. 

Hosuh chuckled, “Thanks, but I actually want to do design tech at uni.”

“Which uni?” Stephen asked, topping up his bowl.

“One on the other side of the country,” he answered reluctantly. “...does that sound lame?”

There was a brief silence until Dan chimed in, “Well I want to study engineering next year and eventually become a mining engineer. That’s pretty lame,” he snickered.

“I’m probably going to uni and be flooded with student debt. So that sounds lame,” Jay joked. 

“I want to be a maths teacher,” Stephen said. The other boys eyed him, sneering. He then sighed. “...and that sounds lame.”

All five of them laughed. 

“I guess we’re all going in completely different directions then,” Dan mentioned lightheartedly. 

But it seemed that in that moment, it hit them. This band wasn’t going to last forever. At most, it would only be another year. And that was on top of all the tests and assignments they’d have next year; work and family life; and all personal issues that might arise. So there wouldn’t be that much time for the band either way. 

Jay grabbed some vegetables from the hot pot in the midst of the silence. “Hey, at least it’s a year away,” he chuckled. 

“Yeah exactly,” Hosuh smiled. But the realisation seemed to linger. 

***

**8:46, Tuesday **

Elias grabbed all the plates the softly placed them into the sink. In turn, Dan washed all the dishes in soapy water. It felt really quiet now that the other band members had left. Kind of lonely actually. 

“Why haven’t you told them?” Elias asked. He placed another lot of plates down into the sink. 

Dan refused to look at him and just smiled, “Told them what?”

He pouted, “About the “tournament”.”

“It’s fine,” he tried to reassure, chuckling abnormally. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really contemplated finishing this chapter. I originally wrote like half of it in November, but never got around to finishing because of Christmas. And then the whole Danplan drama happened. I don't want to get into it (it's already over discussed) but it really stopped me from finishing this. 
> 
> But I always knew that this would be the last chapter, so I decided to finish it off with a bang.

**6:30, Friday**

Their venue was...dodgy. To say the least. It was a stuffy, little space at an underground rock club that reeked of whisky and cigarettes. Everyone was dressed in ripped jeans and leather jackets. The whole place was darkly lit except the creaky stage that stood at the front. 

Hosuh gulped. “Are you sure this is where the competition is held?”

Dan croaked out, “Yeah.”

Stephen furrowed his brows then slumped his bass case across his back. “How did the school approve this place?”

The boys looked towards their leader, who just caved into the pressure. “So there’s something I should’ve said earlier…” he sighed. “...so the school never really signed off on this…?”

“W-What?” even Jay sputtered in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Dan’s voice hitched. “This band was recognised as an extracurricular the moment I went to the principal. We didn’t...we didn’t really need to do a competition.”

Stephen harshly grabbed Dan by his collar. “Then. Why. Are. We. Here?!” 

The guitarist swallowed. “...because I thought it would entice you guys to stay…?”

The bassist looked as if he was going to burst and punch him straight in the face. But he exhaled and let him go. “Let’s just get this over and done with.”

His oddly passive state sat uneasily within the group. As if they were waiting for something to explode. They just didn't know when it would happen.

The tension lingered as they were brought backstage. The band unpacked their instruments and sat by the stairs behind the main stage. They were next. Two songs to go. The cramped space was overrun with instrument cases. Actually, the whole venue was cramped. People were standing shoulder to shoulder in the crowd in front of the stage too, despite the little space. It added another layer of fear within the boys. 

“I don’t get why you had to lie about it,” Stephen said in a low voice. 

“Because I knew that you wouldn’t try as hard if there wasn’t a goal,” Dan’s voice was now firmer. 

“Yeah I wouldn’t. Because it’s just a _hobby_,” he emphasised. 

“Well this is an extracurricular. It’s important for my college application,”

Jay coughed, then twirled his drumsticks between his fingers. “Why does it matter? We’re already here,” he tried to fizzle out the tension. 

“It’s the fact that you lied,” Stephen spat. “...and you clearly only had us around for you. Not because you genuinely liked hanging out with us.”

“But I do—“

Just at that moment, the lights dimmed on the stage. _”Danplan”_ was announced. All the boys shivered. 

Dan was about to approach the stage, holding his guitar by its spine. He tried to look over to Hosuh, but he was too concentrated on his sheet music to match his gaze. Then he looked at Stephen, who was trying his best to completely ignore Dan. Even Jay was ignoring him, his bangs shielding his expression. 

In the split moment before they were going to go on stage, Dan actually felt alone. Right when he needed them most—_when everything felt like it was coming together and all they had to do was not fuck up the very, very, last part_—it actually fell apart.

The lights were blinding. So much so, that he couldn’t think straight. He was at the front, in the spotlight. Basically alone. The others were all behind him. He couldn’t make out any faces from the crowd, but he could hear the soft murmurs.

_안녕하세요, 조교러 피오테오입니다._   
_시유 커버로는 진짜 오랜만이네요._

His voice quivered. His lyrics slurred together and his tone wasn’t exactly great either. He wasn’t even in time with his own guitar. He was just as bad as the first time he had sung it. 

But then Jay began to play alongside him, keeping him in tempo. The snare and bass rumbled beneath him.

_이번에 한국어 개사, 커버한 곡은_   
_N.k님의 하츠네 미쿠 오리지널곡_

And Hosuh eventually joined. His countermelody kept Dan in tune. His guitar, his singing, alongside Hosuh’s keyboard guided the song into a comfortable key.

_[이 실없이 멋진 세상은 나를 위해 있어]인데요._

Then Stephen joined. His bass line echoed throughout the room. His amp was fully up. It gave that “oomph” to the song, kicking the song into high gear. The roaring bass forced Dan in line, aligning his tone with Stephen’s playing so Dan sounded deep and grounded. 

With Dan’s tone in check, his singing in tune, and his guitar in time, he could finally relax. 

_..제목 외우는데 몇 일은 걸린 것 같습니다.  
너무 길어서 햇갈렸어요..;;_

Despite the weird underlying distrust, it felt right. It felt right to play together. Even if this was probably the last time they ever would. They were all in a state of regret. Whether it be lying or joining in the first place. But even so, when the song echoed throughout the packed club...it just sat right. 

_재밌는 가사, 중독성 있는 멜로디 _   
_약간 오리엔탈풍 솔솔 나는_   
_제 마음에 딱 맞는 곡이라서_   
_열심히 개사하고 조교하고 PV도 만들고 했습니다._

Because at the core of it all, they weren’t just band members, they were actually friends. They loved presenting their hard work and effort for the world to see. Together. Emphasis on together. 

_이런 실없이 멋지고 멋진 이 세계에_   
_당신을 만나기 위해 살아_

That’s when Dan realised how widely he was smiling. It was hurting his cheeks as he sang, and it strained his lyrics. But he couldn’t care less. His chest felt free and his eyes streamed with complete joy.

_오늘밤은 해가 뜰 때까지 꽃피우자_   
_빙글빙글 눈을 돌려가며 _

When he looked behind him, all his band members were in the same overjoyed, sweaty state he was. They were all a mess together. Playing just a bit too hard but giving it their all. 

_이런 실없이 멋지고 멋진 이 세계에_   
_똑바로 앞을 보고 나아가_   
_돌고돌아 멍청이가 되어 보자꾸나._   
_모두 외쳐라 얀야이_

This performance, the hardwork, and this song represented them. They started from basically nothing. Only old instruments and a bit of ambition. But they pushed, and tried, and worked. And grew. And now they were here, performing for a full room of strangers; all faceless but all judgemental. Fear would grumble inside of them, but when they performed like this, they didn’t care. They had each other.

_정말 바보가 되겠어;;_

'Guys, we did it,' Dan was thinking, as he strummed his last string. It lingered in the air alongside Jay's snare, Stephen's bass and Hosuh's major chord. A perfect harmony.


End file.
